Irish Lottery
The Irish Lottery is one of the best lotteries in the world and can be played by anyone in the world! Read on to learn how to make the jackpot prize yours!
History of the Irish Lottery
Created in 1986, the Irish Lottery was founded after the government of Ireland passed the National Lottery Act. This act was passed to help raise money for noteworthy and charitable causes throughout the nation of Ireland. Funds raised are dedicated to organizations representing sports and recreation, national heritage and the arts, the Irish language, health and welfare, or the natural environment.
The first game was played on March 23, 1987, with the arrival of scratch cards, but the big lotto officially kicked off a year later in March of 1988.
The game was sold to a private entity, the Premier Lotteries Ireland, in 2013 after the Irish state ran into financial difficulties. Laws on internet gambling were relaxed to enable more players to buy tickets.
Today, the game is incredibly popular and has raised over €4.9 billion for charitable causes.
Ticket Pricing
Playing the Irish Lottery doesn’t have to be a huge investment!
Tickets cost just €3, and that price includes €1 for the Irish lottery and €2 for the main gate entry. You can buy as many of these tickets as you’d like, and the more tickets you buy the higher your odds!
Lottery Draws – Who, What, When?
You can tune in to the draws on Wednesday and Saturday every week at 8 PM! These draws are broadcasted on Irish television, but if you’re not a citizen they are also available online.
There are three draws that take place on draw days.
- The first draw is the main draw and is the one that you’re automatically entered into when you purchase a ticket.
- The second and third draws are like bonus rounds that you make separate bets for.
- For the second and third draws, you keep the numbers that you had for the main draw.
It’s like you get a second and third chance at winning with them. You have to place separate bets for these, and you aren’t automatically entered into them, but you can choose to participate in all three draws if you’d like.
Jackpot Prizes
Though all of the rules can be a bit confusing at first, the prizes you can win are well worth taking the time to learn how to play the Irish Lottery!
The main game jackpot has a minimum payout of €1.7 million dollars, and that’s not your only chance to win! For the lotto plus 1, you can win up to 900k and for the lotto plus 2, up to 225k!
And the best part of all? Unlike the lotteries of many other countries, these winnings are NOT taxed in Ireland! The amount that you win is the amount that you receive.
These winnings are also guaranteed, so you can rest easily knowing that you’re making a sound investment when choosing the Irish Lottery.
Rules of the Irish Lottery
So, how do you win the Irish Lottery? The rules are simple, try to match all 6 numbers!
To overcomplicate it, you’re betting on the odds of what balls are coming out. While other lottery systems ask you to try to match your numbers to the balls drawn and then give you a percentage of the prize money if you do so, the Irish Lottery is fixed odds.
You can choose your stakes and can choose to have higher amounts to try to increase your odds of winning.
It may seem confusing but follow along with us.
- To play the Irish Lottery, you must first pick numbers.
- You have the choice of picking 6 numbers, and these numbers must fall between 1 and 47. Every single number that you choose has to be drawn in order for you to win.
EX: If you pick the numbers 2 and 3, both 2 and 3 must be drawn. If just 2 is drawn, you don’t win anything. But if you only pick the number 2 and the number 2 is drawn, you’ll win.
Though it may seem like a good idea to just pick one number, and many do, the more numbers you pick the higher your overall odds are and the higher your earnings could be. Part of playing the game is deciding whether you want to go all in on one number or risk it on multiple.
Six balls plus a bonus ball will be drawn on draw night, totaling seven total balls drawn. You have to make the decision whether you want your balls to count towards the seven draw or the six. While the seven draw that included the bonus, ball decreases your chances of winning due to more numbers being required but increases your chances of one of your numbers being drawn. On the contrary, the six-number draw increases your chances of winning by requiring one less number but decreases the amount that you could win.
Once the 6 main numbers are drawn, the next draw begins, and the bonus ball is drawn.
Odds and Prizes
There are a lot of decisions to be made when playing this game. Overall, it is important to know your odds and the prizes available. The table below is a great consultation tool.
| Numbers | Prizes Available | Odds of Winning |
| 6 numbers | Jackpot prize (can be as much as €18.96 million) | 1 in 10,737,573 |
| 5 numbers & bonus ball | Average prize is €100,000 (fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool) | 1 in 1,789,596 |
| 5 numbers | Prize fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool | 1 in 44,740 |
| 4 numbers & bonus ball | Prize fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool. | 1 in 17,896 |
| 4 numbers | Prize fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool. | 1 in 918 |
| 3 numbers & bonus ball | Prize fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool | 1 in 688 |
| 3 numbers | Average prize is €9 (fluctuates based on number of winners and prize pool) | 1 in 54 |
| 2 numbers & bonus ball | €3 Daily Million with Plus (2 lines) | 1 in 72 |
| In total, the odds of winning any Irish Lottery prize on average is 1 in 29 | ||
Syndicates
Another way to increase your odds at winning the lottery is by pooling together on a syndicate.
A syndicate is a way to bet on the odds of the lottery and is simply a group that combines their money together to increase changes. When pooled together, multiple line bets can be placed, and odds increase.
To use a syndicate:
- Choose the size of syndicate you want to bet on
- Choose the number of shares you’d like to purchase.
Simple enough?
Lotto Plus 1
Launched in 2000, Lotto Plus 1 is a game that can be played in conjunction with the main jackpot lottery. To play, the numbers from the main lottery are entered into the Lotto Plus 1 drawing for €1 per line. Players can also choose to forfeit their original numbers and allow a random number generator to choose their numbers for this round.
The draw takes place after the main lottery draw and the rules are the same, try to match all six of the numbers. There are different tiers, and the table below explains the prizes and odds for this additional game.
| Prize Tier | Prize Amount | Odds (Rounded) |
| 6 | €1 million | 1 in 10,737,573 |
| 5 & bonus ball | €5,000 | 1 in 1,789,596 |
| 5 | €500 | 1 in 44,740 |
| 4 & bonus ball | €50 | 1 in 17,896 |
| 4 | €20 | 1 in 918 |
| 3 & bonus ball | €10 | 1 in 688 |
| 3 | €3 | 1 in 54 |
| 2 & bonus ball | €2 Daily Million Quick Pick (2 lines) | 1 in 72 |
Lotto Plus 2
Similar to Lotto Plus 1, Lotto Plus 2 can be played for an additional €1. The prizes are a little bit less, but it is still worth playing!
Like Lotto Plus 1, the prizes are set and are guaranteed regardless of the number of players.
| Prize Tier | Prize | Odds of Winning |
| 6 | €250,000 | 1 in 10,737,573 |
| 5 & bonus ball | €2,500 | 1 in 1,789,596 |
| 5 | €250 | 1 in 44,740 |
| 4 & bonus ball | €25 | 1 in 17,896 |
| 4 | €10 | 1 in 918 |
| 3 & bonus ball | €5 | 1 in 688 |
| 3 | €3 | 1 in 54 |
| 2 & bonus ball | €2 Daily Million Quick Pick (2 lines) | 1 in 72 |
Lotto Plus Raffle
Those who choose to play the Lotto Plus Raffle can win €500!
The odds of winning from the Lotto Plus Raffle are 1 in 10,000. These draws take place after all of the other draws have concluded.
It is possible to win all four of these draws at once if you have the right numbers!
How to Play in India
If you live in India and you’d like to join in on the fun, never fear!
It’s easy to play the Irish Lottery from India. To start:
- Visit a betting website that allows you to bet on the Irish Lottery, like Lotto247.
- Choose which game you’d like to play.
- Pick the numbers you’d like to play with – you can play multiple lines simultaneously.
- Choose whether you want to bet on a single draw or subscribe.
- If this is your first time playing, register for an account. If not, log in to your previous account!
- Finally, pay for your entries and you’re done!
Where to Check Results & How to Claim Your Prize
To stay updated on results, watch our website or the Irish Lottery’s official website!
Every prize winner will receive an email, but if you win over €10,000 then you will also receive a phone call letting you know that you are the chosen one.
This is the important part, so take notes! From the date of the draw, you have 90 days to claim your winnings. After the 90 days is up, your prize has been forfeited and the money will be used to promote the Irish Lottery and other good causes.
So, if you have the winning numbers, RUN!
For online entries, prizes up to €99 will be automatically transferred to the card used to purchase the original numbers. €100-€500 winnings will be credited by cheque. The cheque will be mailed to the address on file, so make sure it is a current address that you’re using! €501-€9,999 prize winners will be contacted by the National Lottery to conduct verification checks prior to sending funds.
For in-store entries, prizes up to €100 can be paid by any National Lottery Retailer. €101-14,999 can be claimed from An Post prize centres.
Any prize of €15,000 or more for in store entries, or €10,000 or more for online entries will need to be claimed in person at the National Lottery headquarters.
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